The capital of the Light Empire, Neverfall.
The Western Steppes are a new area introduced in the PWI Neverfall expansion. It is available for players who have gone through their second Reawakening and have reached the Boundary of Mirage Sky I. The Western Steppes is the home of the Light Empire, where Emperor Alexander and Empress Althea originate from. Alexander and Althea are two characters you originally meet through the Primal World story.
This new area is tied to the Glyph System and the new Spiritual Cultivation of Chaotic Soul and Celestial Saint. The Western Steppes are considered to be an extension of the main map, but is not part of the open world.
Story
For many years, a magical force kept the Midlands isolated from the rest of the world. One day, the Western Steppes appear on the map once more, but the citizens are unaware of what had happened and Empress Althea believes something is off. Upon arriving to the lands of the Western Steppes, you get accused of murder. You begin your own investigation which leads you to the glorious city of Neverfall.
In Neverfall you get to study at the Arcane Academy, discover Neverfall's history and help the people of the Western Steppes. Everything goes well until you learn of the Future of Mankind Initiative (FMI), their exploits and their inhumane experiments. To stop them, you join Neverfall's elite soldiers; the Rose Cavalry. Your adventures eventually lead you to the heart of FMI's Dawnlight Halls only to discover the truth behind Neverfall and the existence of the Changelings.
You begin seeking allies in the Western Steppes. The Light Elves and the Dark Elves you once saved, along with General Summer, from the Midlands, come to your aid. The Changelings attempt to assassinate Empress Althea and assault General Summer's army. Two unlikely allies and the visions from the Observer's Crystal help you counter the Changelings. Through these battles, you come to learn more about these creatures and understand there are good and evil Changelings.
The war is taken to the Tretais Caverns, the home of the Changelings, where you collect the Changeling Essences for the race's future and kill the corrupted and evil Changelings. The war ends once the leader of the Changelings is defeated and Empress Althea vows to make Neverfall glorious once again; a place for both humans and good Changelings.
Is the Changeling threat truly gone though?
Maps
The Western Steppes map.
The Western Steppes map when zoomed in.
Accessing the Western Steppes
If your character meets the requirements of second Reawakening and the Boundary of Mirage Sky I, it will receive a pop-up quest for the Western Steppes. If the quest does not appear, try visiting the Elder of the Streams in A Thousand Streams city to see if he has the quest for you.
The quest will send you to gather three keys that will allow you to find the long lost map of the Western Steppes. Once you have acquired the map, you will have to visit the Dreamweaver Port. Follow the quest line until you receive a Neverfall Ship Ticket. A ship to the Western Steppes will arrive every five minutes at Dreamweaver's port. Double click on the ship, choose a role and hit enter. When the ship is filled or five minutes have passed, the ship will sail to the Western Steppes. When you arrive at the new area, talk to the NPCs around the port of Datun Docks to continue your quest.
After using the ship one time, players can visit the Western Steppes by talking to the World Guide NPCs located in every major city.
Quests
Main Quest Line
Sculla guards the entrance to Dawnlight Halls and must be defeated during the main quest line.
The main quest line of the Western Steppes begins at the Datun Docks near Niore village and it appears in pink text. Pick up your quest from the NPCs around the port. The quest line awards you with a lot of Vitae so using an Ancient Gift is recommended. Through the quest line, you will discover the story of the Battle of the Grape Valley, Emperor Alexander's rise to power and the establishment of Neverfall city.
Once you receive a Neverfall Royal Badge, a gem of your choice and the book of Perfect Chronicles, you will gain access to the Chaotic Soul Cultivation quest if your character is Shifting Sky X. You can continue the quest line without having completed the Chaotic Soul Cultivation. If you are unable to continue the quest line at any point, it means that your Boundary level is too low. Players need to be Astral Sky X to do the second part of the main quest line, Shifting Sky X to do the third part and Twilight Sky VI to do the last part.
Side Quests
Neverfall has several side quests and they all award you with Vitae and Neverfall Squire's Badges. You can find them in your Find Quest and identify them by their rewards. They are the only white quests that give Vitae. For reference here are the list of the quest names:
- Perfect Cookies
- Farris's Frustration
- Girls Gone Missing
- What Lurks Below (also gives titles and Homestead items)
- The Romantic Swordsman
Daily Quests
Wenham village in the Western Steppes.
That are a number of daily quests in the Western Steppes that award you with Vitae and useful items. The first one is available after your first visit, but the second is unlocked once you reach different parts of the main quest line. The dailies are the following:
- Swords to Plowshares
- The Darkness of Magnier
Glyph Quests
The Glyph Master NPCs outside Neverfall's City Hall will give you quests for items to unlock your character's Glyph slots. The NPCs can also sell the Glyph slots for 10,000,000 coins each in case your quests failed.
Neverfall Badges
Quests in the Western Steppes will reward you with Neverfall Badges: Neverfall Squire's Badge, Neverfall Knight's Badge and Neverfall Royal Badge.
These badges can be redeemed at the Royal Knight Hector in Neverfall (349 593). The rewards include the following:
- Class skill books for Chaotic Soul and Celestial Saint Cultivation
- Glyph Pack Lv1
- Primordial and Barbaric Blood
- Incomparable Garnet, Sapphire and Citrine Shard
- Acoustic Media for ring engraving
- Wanted Order for a quest that gives Vitae, EXP or Spirit.
- Time limited flyer speed boost items
- Permanent titles